Funding

Partial / Stipend

Fellowship•USA · San Diego

UC Human Rights Fellowship (UC San Diego)

International Institute, UC San Diego, with the Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley School of Law

Application Deadline

Closed · February 23, 2026

Reopens ~Feb 2027

Official Page

The UC Human Rights Fellowship is available to UC San Diego graduate students enrolled in a PhD program. The International Institute at UC San Diego funds one fellow each year as its part of a University of California programme coordinated with the Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley School of Law. Fellows choose their own partner organization and complete at least 8 weeks of full-time fieldwork, or the part-time equivalent, between May and September.

Projects must have an international component; they may be based in the United States if they involve international issues or populations. The fellowship year also includes an orientation, a gathering after the fieldwork, and a presentation at the annual fellowship conference on the Berkeley campus. Applications for the 2026 cycle closed on 23 February 2026, and the call goes out each January.

Benefits & funding

  • A stipend of 8,000 USD to support the fellow’s work.
  • Two students who apply together on one project share a single 8,000 USD stipend.
  • Reimbursement of travel and accommodation for three trips to Berkeley, up to 1,650 USD.
  • An orientation, a post-fieldwork gathering, and a presentation slot at the fellowship conference at UC Berkeley.
  • Applications are judged by three UC San Diego faculty members from different disciplines and one senior staff member from the Human Rights Center.

Eligibility

  • Open to UC San Diego graduate students enrolled in a PhD program; the application page states no nationality or residency requirement.
  • Previous recipients of the fellowship may not apply again.
  • The project must have an international component and be carried out with a partner organization the applicant identifies; it may be based in the United States if it involves international issues or populations.
  • Fieldwork must run at least 8 weeks full-time, or the part-time equivalent, between May and September.
  • Students graduating in May of the application year may apply if they can still complete every requirement, including the autumn events.
  • Applicants who plan to be abroad in the autumn are advised not to apply, because the September gathering and the October conference at Berkeley are required.
  • Applicants may hold funding from other sources; the selection committee weighs this alongside other factors.

Can you apply?

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  • Education required

    PhD Enrolled

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Application process

  1. 1
    Attend one of the optional information sessions, held on 14 and 20 January in the 2026 cycle.
  2. 2
    Identify the partner organization, the human rights issue to be addressed, and the objectives and expected outcomes of the fieldwork.
  3. 3
    Submit the application form in the Kuali system.
  4. 4
    Prepare a curriculum vitae that highlights relevant human rights, fieldwork, research, volunteering, and language experience.
  5. 5
    Write a statement of purpose of two to five pages, double-spaced in 12-point type, answering the questions listed on the application page; references may run onto a sixth page.
  6. 6
    Arrange two recommendation letters, at least one of them from a University of California faculty member familiar with the applicant’s academic record.
  7. 7
    Obtain a letter of support from the partner organization.
  8. 8
    Send the complete application to the campus fellowship coordinator by the deadline. Incomplete applications are not forwarded to the committee, and letters cannot arrive late.

Program timeline

  1. Information session

    Jan 14, 2026

  2. Second information session

    Jan 20, 2026

  3. Application deadline for the 2026 cycle

    Feb 23, 2026

  4. Awards announced

    Mid-March 2026

  5. Orientation

    Mid-April 2026

  6. Fieldwork, at least 8 weeks

    May to September 2026

  7. Gathering after the fieldwork

    September 2026

  8. Presentation at the fellowship conference, UC Berkeley

    Mid-October 2026

  9. January 2027

    Next call for applications expected, with a deadline in mid-February; no exact date published

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